Perspective on Rural Areas in China Balancing between economic growth and Quality Education Perspective on Rural Areas in China

Hanns Seidel Foundation in China HSF is a German funded organization operating in 63 countries In 1975 Mao Zedong and later Bavarian Prime Minister Franz-Josef Strauß conclude areas of cooperation Better living conditions through Development of Rural Areas Integration of the people to decision making processes (People to People Dialogue) Vocational Education and Training in order to create “fair jobs” and help mitigate poverty = Education for Sustainable Development since 2015

Overview Problems facing rural areas: The Hukou System and Left behind Children Education in Rural Areas Teacher trainings in ESD: Empowering teachers to think holistically

The hukou System In China, social welfare benefits – including schooling – are tied to the household register A Chinese citizen is only entitled to welfare benefits of the place of his or hers hukou registration It is extremely difficult to change a hukou registration Schooling is only free of charge withing the jurisdiction of one‘s hukou

Left-Behind Children There are more than 58 mill. left-behind children in China. This means, almost one in four children grows up separated from one or both parents ¼ of Children in urban areas have a rural hukou

Malnutrition and Anemia Family-related problems Education in Rural Areas I Malnutrition and Anemia Still 20 milllion children aged 6-15 Affects intellectual development and studies Hampers development of cognitive and motor skills Teachers Often no pedagogical training of teachers (less qualified than in urban areas) Major part of worktime spend on administrative work Family-related problems Lower value of girls influences enrollment-rate Poverty (schooling fees) Job opportunities in low-skilled sector Family background The lower the level of education of parents or grandparents, the less likely are children to pursue higher education ²Source: https://www.economist.com/news/china/21604220-growth-has-helped-millions-avoid-malnutrition-it-still-threatens-hold-back-generation

Education in Rural Areas II Facilities Fewer available schools in rural areas, esp. junior and senior high schools Not suitable equipped for children (esp. younger children) Sanitary issues Language No senior high school education in national minority languages No economic incentive for pursuing higher education

Approach of the HSF in ESD teaching training: empowering teachers to think holistically Standardized goals – 15 Modules for ESD Problem Analysis General solution How can pupils solve? Action plan Evaluation 35 hours workload for students Divided between nine topics Pedagogy and learning environment Learning outcome: Interdisciplinary and question/problem oriented lessons that have to fit nationals curricula standards Guidance by local and foreign experts ESD is related to Environment Social ans Economical issues

Challenges for ESD training Awareness building (survey in 2015) 50 % of head masters said they have no competences in ESD 36 % of teachers said that they do not contribute to environmental problems 45 % of schools do not implement ESD in class room teaching 23 % of teachers cooperate on ESD with non-school partners 12 % of pupils said they protect environment in their schools (28 % do this with their families) How to implement problem and project based learning on ESD in core curriculas? How to transfer results into less developed and rural areas? 1 Awareness building 3 Transfer of results 2 Implementation in curriculas

Next: Integrative Development of Rural Areas and ESD ¼ of Children in urban areas have a rural hukou